2024-03-20T14:16:50-04:00 2022-09-30 474306215 Mullins PC 7625 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda MD 20814 990 2021-10-01 521683270 Earth Conservation Corps EART 1520 First Street SE Washington DC 20003 Robert H Nixon Co-Chairman 2024794505 2024-03-20 true Robert H Nixon XXX-XX-XXXX John Mullins P01429307 2027706371 2024-03-20 0 00 AAL1 IAL1 2021 2023-04-26 12:10:37Z Robert H Nixon 353666 false X earthconservationcorps.org X 1990 DC To reclaim the Anacostia River, our communities and our lives. 10 10 4 552 0 0 241089 306444 32690 20714 1 6327 25860 280106 353019 0 0 117690 159334 1022 39504 236336 177233 354026 337589 -73920 15430 447708 419274 97705 53642 350003 365632 To reclaim the Anacostia River, our communities and our lives. false false 165820 Anacostia River Environmental Action:Earth Conservation Corps members volunteer for a year of active conservation leading the community in Anacostia River restoration, raptor education and hands-on science to deliver solutions to the urgent challenges of climate change and environmental injustice. Our impact model builds tomorrows leaders though vital conservation work today. Through restoration, education and hands-on science, our youth are also gaining valuable workforce development skills focused on green infrastructure that provides a pathway for sustainable employment. A small but expert staff and board teams with field biologists who define meaningful habitat restoration and research priorities. See Schedule O for Continuation. 165820 true true false false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 8 0 true 4 true false false false false false false false false false false false false X 10 10 true false false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true true false DC X X X The Organization 2024794505 1520 First Street SE Washington DC 20003 X Sarah Guinan Nixon Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Dylan C Glenn Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Megan Smith Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Reverand Ivory Teague Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 LaShauntya Moore Reynolds Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 LeVar Burton Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Dr Sylvia Earle Director 5.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Hon John Bridgeland Co-Chairman 15.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Robert H Nixon Co-Chairman 40.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Dan Tangherlini Secretary Treasurer 15.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 false false false 89971 216473 1645 306444 Program Service Fees 900099 20714 20714 20714 1 1 4000 4000 4000 4000 8962 647 8315 8315 Other 900099 13545 13545 13545 353019 34259 0 12316 X 136791 51297 51296 34198 7403 3003 4400 15140 10785 1272 3083 29646 14823 14823 1022 1022 138 138 26499 12456 13843 200 742 742 52251 47571 3680 1000 14725 11258 3467 14606 11072 3534 25694 25694 6937 3510 3427 Other 5995 45 5949 1 337589 165820 132265 39504 112754 60933 22854 71936 1610667 1324262 312100 286405 447708 419274 97705 53642 97705 53642 X 350003 353404 12228 350003 365632 447708 419274 X 15430 199 X false false false X 355171 278544 206282 256172 306444 1402613 355171 278544 206282 256172 306444 1402613 271677 1130936 1 1 13545 13545 1416159 0.79860 0.80850 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 935963 825940 110023 174470 174470 500234 498322 1912 286405 Officer directors etc family relationship Part VI line 2 A co-chairperson is married to a director. Form 990 governing body review Part VI line 11 The 990 is presented to the Board of Directors before it is filed. Conflict of interest policy compliance Part VI line 12c Annually, the staff and members of the Board of Directors sign the Conflict of Interest Policy at meetings in which the policy is discussed. CEO executive director top management comp Part VI line 15a Compensation for the Executive Director is reviewed annually by the board in comparison to similar organizations in the Metropolitan area. Other officer or key employee compensation Part VI line 15b Compensation for all key employees is reviewed annually by the board in comparison to similar organizations in the Metropolitan area. Governing documents etc available to public Part VI line 19 The Organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest and financial statements available online to the public and upon reasonable request. Explanation of other changes in net assets or fund balances Part XI line 9 $199 to tie Net Assets from prior year. List of other fees for services expenses Part IX line 11g Program $12,456G&A $13,843Fundraising $200 General explanation attachment Program Service Accomplishments (Continuation):Our AmeriCorps members also known as EagleCorps Members are trained in various areas including; raptor handlers, urban forestry, solar and river restoration. The Corpsmembers give conservation focused raptor presentations to the public, lead teams of volunteers in building our raptor education center and share their stories of solution-based work through Youth Media Arts. Across thirty years, we have seen youth engagement with nature through raptors and assisting field biologists in a transformative experience that increases graduation rates, sparks interest in higher education and improves employment prospects and lifelong commitments to conservation. Who:FY2022 was an exciting year for our program! Earth Conservation Corps model is for our youth leaders to provide service for and WITH the community. Earth Conservation Corps engages with local school groups, government agencies, scientists, other local nonprofits and volunteers. 2022 Highlight - Earth Conservation Corps was pleased to continue our work with two long-time partners, Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy (CGYCA) and DCs Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) at New Beginnings. CGYCA is a life intervention, dropout reintegration, and GED preparatory program, run by the District of Columbia National Guard in partnership with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia. The Academy is a 5 1/2 month long residential military style academy structured to promote an academic environment where students will earn a District of Columbia High School Diploma, develop leadership, job skills, and academic skills, while improving self-esteem, pride, and confidence.The New Beginnings Youth Development Center (NBYDC) is a secure and structured 60-bed male residential facility for DYRS committed youth. Its staff consists of dedicated professionals with extensive therapeutic experience and training in implementing evidence-based practices. DYRS focuses on preparing young people for a productive and successful re-entry into the community. Employ interventions that improve our youths academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and vocational functioning. Engagement with these partner groups focused on our Raptor Research and Education program which is the hands-on study and conservation of raptors. They also engaged in watershed conservation and education programs through our Eco-Schools program through a grant with the US EPA. Why:The DC high school drop-out rate is 32%. There is a 10-year difference in life expectancy and a 12.8% unemployment rate disparity between Ward 8 (16.8%) and Ward 2 (4.0%) as of February 2021 according to the Department of Employment Services. The International Journal of STEM Education reports that many minorities youth feel that they do not belong in STEM-based subjects and therefore do not pursue them. (Kricorian, et. al.) Nationally, the youth disconnection rate is 14.7% or 5.8 million young people. The most disconnected neighborhoods in DC are in Northeast and Southeast (Wards 7, 8) where the rate is 33.1% compared to NW DC, which is 2.9%. (Burd-Sharps, et. al.) In Wards 7 and 8, communities in DC that are greater than 90% non-white, not only are rates of disconnection higher for young people, but they are also more likely to experience lower levels of preparation for college and other postsecondary options. ImpactBeing responsible for a wild raptor is a transformative experience that inspires a desire to complete high school, interest in STEM subjects, and a reconnection to self. We have seen the successful quest for a high school diploma blossom into a pursuit of higher education and careers in wildlife science and environmental restoration through the hands-on experiences of working in our raptor program. Our innovative programming has been recognized in scientific publications including Leaders, Archetypes, and Totems: A Psychodynamic Theory of Sustainable Culture by Dr. Janis L. Dickinson, Professor, Natural Resources, Professor of Citizen Science, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; and popular publications including, The Wonder of Birds by New York Times Science Writer, Jim Robbins. Earth Conservation Corps has engaged over 50,000 students in its school programs and 200 million around the world through our innovative raptor education program eaglecam.org. Program Focus 1 - Raptor Education & Conservation Humans have an innate fascination with raptors. We have found success through our formula of training adjudicated youth to care for our non-releasable education birds and present the public raptor education presentations mandated under FWS Permit #MB071444-0, Special Purpose Possession for Education Live Migratory Birds. In 2022 we again saw that the pairing of birds and youth offers mutual healing and often drives engagement in STEM can change the course of a young persons life. A primary goal of both of our programs is to inspire our high school volunteers to become full time AmeriCorps leaders at our Anacostia River education centers. Over the course of 2022, Earth Conservation Corps continued engagement with the youth engaged with the Capital Guardians high school dropout prevention program to execute the 2022 board plan to fund the focus of our service program on Raptor Education and Conservation. The board reaffirmed the commitment to provide secure funding for staff, facility construction and eagle care to support an application to the US Fish & Wildlife Service for an eagle exhibition permit. Commitment from the city for this application was reinforced by their renewal of our lease to the Wings Raptor education facility and the strong support to deploy our new raptor propagation permit inside the secure DYRS facility at New Beginnings. Earth Conservation Corps engaged cadets in a weekly elective experience that inspires a new generation of citizen scientists through the study of migratory birds and the challenges they face both in our urban environment and rapidly warming planet. We engaged two cohorts of volunteers in the 5 month sessions (CGYCA class 57 and 58) that included citizen science, and workforce development. The cadets also focused on completing the first step in securing the eagle exhibition permit by constructing a 140ftx20ftx14ft eagle flight aviary. The workforce development component included goal setting, resume writing and interview skills. In FY22, 23 Cadets graduated from the Raptor Research and Conservation Elective program. They completed 1960 total service hours. We are also happy to report that in 2022, Earth Conservation Corps was granted a raptor propagation permit to begin a captive breeding program.Anacostia Raptor Watch is a citizen science program on our River Life Expedition boats to engage the community in monitoring the birds that call the Anacostia River home. One truly gets to see A Tale of Two Cities. The lower Anacostia is very much an urban landscape. When you head upriver, everything changes, it gets quiet, the city disappears as one is enveloped by nature. You see an amazing hidden Anacostia that you can only witness on the water. Osprey, wood ducks, turtles, and kingfishers are your only noise. As learning continued online in 2021, Earth Conservation Corps had the advantage of a head start. In 2009, Anacostia Raptor Watch launched Washingtons first live web eagle on the nest of Liberty and Justice, the now famous bald eagle pair is at the Metropolitan Police Academy. We managed the cameras in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the National Geographic Society in what had become a global eagle education and citizens science project. As nature would have it, in 2020 the eagles abandoned their nest and moved a mile south to a tree on Oxon Cove. Just when the eagle cam would be most useful, it was streaming from an empty nest. We monitored the pair in their new nest site from afar but there was no consideration to adding a new camera until well after the nesting season. The osprey nest cam located on the Anacostia River has been the focus of a nest study under the guidance of Dr. Rob Bierregaard. Viewers from around the globe observe these birds of prey 24/7 through our web cameras. Raptor Education ProgramsEagleCorps members make an impact on the river through our raptor education programs. One of the most impactful ways we do this is by engaging our citys school children and the public. Our team of educators and raptor ambassadors will go into the public schools and teach the students the importance of conservation in their own communities. Children learn how their decisions and actions impact birds of prey like Mr. Hoots who visits them in their classroom. These up close and exciting encounters ignite good conversations and inspire change in behavior towards our enviro